MURAL
was at the brick wall working for 10 to 12 hours a day.
“Think: This is August, it was 92 degrees and I was with my little umbrella,” she said.
“When it was hot, I had to paint basic bricks. I couldn’t do any figuring or detail; I couldn’t focus. There were a few hours [each day] it was hard to be out there.”
She used premium outdoor paint for the mural, citing its weather-, water-, heatproofing qualities. Through the steamy summer days, Miguel would carry a spray bottle of water since, in the heat, the paints would dry quickly.
“[Because of the heat] sometimes I would say the paint dries on my brush,” she said.
With momentum and spare time, she wanted to get as much done as possible before the cooler weather and potential snow blew through. And she wanted to focus before her schedule was packed full since she has two kids in school and teaches art classes at her studio, Miguel’s Atelier Art School, also in Ellicott City.
“I didn’t even think about it. It was just go, go, go,” she said. “The longest day was 13 hours.”
Miguel has been a multidisciplinary artist for 35 years after training for seven years in art school in Mallorca, Spain, where she was born. She said she has painted on canvases of all different sizes, but this mural was her biggest to date.
“Once you start big, a few feet don’t make a difference,” she said.
After that five-week intense push to complete work on the mural, the majorparts were done. However, she proved to be right — as the seasons changed and everyday life took over, her visits to the mural became less frequent.
She has had routine visitors since she started painting seven months ago including police officers, residents and Main Street visitors who stop and gawk at the newest part of historic Ellicott City.
Miguel had a couple she referred to as “regulars” who would stop to check in on the mural every day while walking their boxer, Ella. Originally Miguel was planning to paint a French bulldog on the mural.
However, as Ella and her owners continued to appear, Miguel had an idea: Paint Ella.
“When they came back and saw their dog on the wall, they got emotional,” Miguel said.
She anticipates two or three more weeks of touch-ups and small add-ons before a final sealer can coat the mural to protect the piece from weather conditions.
“We are thrilled that [the mural] is now completed and that we have the plaque up to describe the significance of the building to Ellicott City’s history,” Fund for Art in Ellicott City President Kim Egan said.
“The mural helps visitors to our town to understand the role that Ellicott City played in the growth of our nation, and it also provides visual interest for pedestrians and for vehicles traveling up the old National Road.”
Miguel hopes this mural won’t be her last outdoor Ellicott City contribution. She said there’s another space available for painting right off Main Street at the former Ellicott Theatre.
“I would love to do that wall. I would paint it in a heartbeat,” she said.
“Think: This is August, it was 92 degrees and I was with my little umbrella,” she said.
“When it was hot, I had to paint basic bricks. I couldn’t do any figuring or detail; I couldn’t focus. There were a few hours [each day] it was hard to be out there.”
She used premium outdoor paint for the mural, citing its weather-, water-, heatproofing qualities. Through the steamy summer days, Miguel would carry a spray bottle of water since, in the heat, the paints would dry quickly.
“[Because of the heat] sometimes I would say the paint dries on my brush,” she said.
With momentum and spare time, she wanted to get as much done as possible before the cooler weather and potential snow blew through. And she wanted to focus before her schedule was packed full since she has two kids in school and teaches art classes at her studio, Miguel’s Atelier Art School, also in Ellicott City.
“I didn’t even think about it. It was just go, go, go,” she said. “The longest day was 13 hours.”
Miguel has been a multidisciplinary artist for 35 years after training for seven years in art school in Mallorca, Spain, where she was born. She said she has painted on canvases of all different sizes, but this mural was her biggest to date.
“Once you start big, a few feet don’t make a difference,” she said.
After that five-week intense push to complete work on the mural, the majorparts were done. However, she proved to be right — as the seasons changed and everyday life took over, her visits to the mural became less frequent.
She has had routine visitors since she started painting seven months ago including police officers, residents and Main Street visitors who stop and gawk at the newest part of historic Ellicott City.
Miguel had a couple she referred to as “regulars” who would stop to check in on the mural every day while walking their boxer, Ella. Originally Miguel was planning to paint a French bulldog on the mural.
However, as Ella and her owners continued to appear, Miguel had an idea: Paint Ella.
“When they came back and saw their dog on the wall, they got emotional,” Miguel said.
She anticipates two or three more weeks of touch-ups and small add-ons before a final sealer can coat the mural to protect the piece from weather conditions.
“We are thrilled that [the mural] is now completed and that we have the plaque up to describe the significance of the building to Ellicott City’s history,” Fund for Art in Ellicott City President Kim Egan said.
“The mural helps visitors to our town to understand the role that Ellicott City played in the growth of our nation, and it also provides visual interest for pedestrians and for vehicles traveling up the old National Road.”
Miguel hopes this mural won’t be her last outdoor Ellicott City contribution. She said there’s another space available for painting right off Main Street at the former Ellicott Theatre.
“I would love to do that wall. I would paint it in a heartbeat,” she said.
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